Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Davidic Psalm for the dedication of the Temple.

Thanksgiving for Deliverance

Purification Requirements

14 The Lord told Moses, ² “This is the law concerning those who have infectious skin diseases, after they have been cleansed: ³ The priest is to go outside the camp and examine the infectious skin disease to confirm that the person has been healed. ⁴ If he has been healed, then the priest is to command that two live and clean birds, some cedar^[a] wood, some crimson thread, and hyssop be brought for the one cleansed. ⁵ Then the priest is to command that one bird be slaughtered on an earthen vessel over flowing water. ⁶ He is to take the live bird, the cedar wood, the crimson thread, and the hyssop, and dip them together in the blood of the bird that had been slaughtered over the flowing water. ⁷ He is to sprinkle the blood^[b] seven times on the person with the infectious skin disease and then pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird into the open fields. ⁸ The person who is clean is to wash his clothes, shave all his hair, and bathe in water, after which he is to be declared clean. Then he can be brought back to the camp, but he is to remain outside his tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day, he is to shave the hair on his head, chin, back, and eyebrows. After he has shaved all his hair, washed his clothes, and bathed himself with water, then he will be clean.”

Reconsecration after Infections

¹⁰ “On the eighth day, he is to take two lambs without defect, a one year old ewe lamb without defect, one third of a measure of^[c] fine flour mixed with olive oil for a meal offering, and one log^[d] of oil. ¹¹ The priest who will pronounce him clean is to present the person to be cleansed and these offerings^[e] in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ¹² The priest is to take one of the lambs and present it as a guilt offering, along with one log^[f] of olive oil, which he is to wave as a raised offering in the Lord’s presence. ¹³ Then he is to slaughter the lamb in the place where he slaughtered the sin and burnt offerings—that is, at a place in the sanctuary. Just as the sin offering is for the priest, so also is the guilt offering. It’s a most holy thing.

¹⁴ “Then the priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and place it on the right earlobe of the person to be cleansed, on his right thumb, and on his right great toe. ¹⁵ Then the priest is to take some of the log^[g] of olive oil and pour it into his own left hand. ¹⁶ The priest is to dip his right finger in the olive oil that is in his left palm and sprinkle some of the olive oil with his finger seven times in the Lord’s presence.

¹⁷ “As to the remainder of the olive oil in his palm, he is to place some on the right earlobe of the person to be cleansed, on his right thumb, on his right great toe, and on the blood of the guilt offering. ¹⁸ Then he is to place the rest of the oil in his palm on the head of the person to be cleansed, thus making atonement for him in the Lord’s presence. ¹⁹ This is how^[h] the priest is to present the sin offering to make atonement for the person being cleansed of his impurity. After this, he is to slaughter the whole burnt offering. ²⁰ The priest is to offer both the whole burnt and the grain offerings on the altar. After the priest makes atonement for him, he will be clean.”

¹¹ God continued to do extraordinary miracles through Paul.^{[a] 12} When handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched his skin were taken to the sick, their diseases left them and evil spirits went out of them.

¹³ Then some Jews who went around trying to drive out demons attempted to use the name of the Lord Jesus on those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by that Jesus whom Paul preaches!” ¹⁴ Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.

¹⁵ But the evil spirit told them, “Jesus I know, and I am getting acquainted with Paul, but who are you?”

¹⁶ Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them, got the better of them, and so violently overpowered all of them that they fled out of the house naked and bruised. ¹⁷ When this became known to everyone living in Ephesus, Jews and Greeks alike, they all became terrified, and the name of the Lord Jesus began to be held in high honor. ¹⁸ Many who became believers kept coming to confess and talk about what they had been doing. ¹⁹ Moreover, many people who had practiced occult arts gathered their books and burned them in front of everybody. They estimated their value and found them to have been worth 50,000 silver coins.^{[b] 20} In that way the word of the Lord kept spreading and triumphing.